Cyclists flock to the Tanglefoot Trail and Longleaf Trace, the state’s two rails-to-trails destinations.
If someone had told Bob McGee of Pontotoc that he’d still be riding bicycles with friends through his hometown well into his retirement years, he probably would’ve laughed it off. But after wrapping up his professional career, he moved back and took to pedaling almost daily with a friend he’s known “pretty much since birth.”
In contrast to the many detours and winding paths McGee’s life has taken, the Tanglefoot Trail — a mostly level, straight-line of a hiking and cycling path built on a decommissioned rail line in northeastern Mississippi — makes reconnecting with the simpler side of life easy.
“Being here has been such a blessing to me,” says McGee, chairman of the board that oversees the trail. Today, he lives less than a mile from a trail access point and just four houses down from his riding pal.
Railroads still crisscross Mississippi carrying payloads of freight to far-flung locales every day, but some lines faded with the decline of local rail service. Two of those lines — the Tanglefoot as well as the Longleaf Trace in the Pine Belt — have taken on new life as recreational trails for walkers, cyclists, and travelers who prefer to slow things down.
The Tanglefoot Trail, which opened in 2013, stretches 43.6 miles through the farmland and forests of Union, Pontotoc, and Chickasaw counties, following the path of a former Gulf and Ship Island Railroad spur developed in the 19th century by Col. William Clark Falkner, great-grandfather of author William Faulkner. Over the decades, the corridor changed hands, became part of the GM&O and later Illinois Central systems, and was eventually abandoned.
McGee, a triathlete until an injury forced him to refocus on cycling, and many others now traverse an asphalt-paved trail connecting Pontotoc with communities like New Albany, Ecru, Algoma, New Houlka, and Houston.
Following a nationwide trend, local governments along the route formed the GM&O Rails to Trails Recreational District to manage the trail’s development and upkeep. That coordination shows up in the details: each town maintains a whistle-stop rest area or trailhead, offering amenities like restrooms, picnic tables, and bike racks. Larger towns like Pontotoc and New Albany have added civic infrastructure, including amphitheaters and downtown access points. In New Albany, visitors enter the trail through a landscaped plaza with public art installations that highlight the region’s history.
The trail’s development has brought a measure of tourism and outside attention to these towns. In 2019, the Rails to Trails Conservancy named the Tanglefoot Trail to its Rail-Trail Hall of Fame, citing both the quality of the trail and the level of local engagement. Businesses have emerged near the trailheads in several towns, especially in New Albany and Pontotoc, which already had walkable downtown areas. In Houston, the trail ends just north of the town center, where civic improvements have been made to support visitors.
You’re out there in places you would have never been able to go if the trail didn’t exist. It’s a great time to reflect on the things that matter.
“Between Pontotoc and New Houlka is where I ride most often,” McGee says, “and I do that because it’s 80% shaded and on a normal day is extremely quiet.” On the trail’s southern half, where the terrain is more rural, he and other riders often see a variety of wildlife — everything from the area’s native birds and snakes to more secretive animals like bobcats and coyotes. Some have even reported catching glimpses of bears and an alligator.
“You’re out there in places you would have never been able to go if the trail didn’t exist,” McGee says. “It’s a great time to reflect on the things that matter.”
Roughly 200 miles to the south, the Longleaf Trace, which opened to travelers in 2000, follows a broader and occasionally more urbanized path. Its 44-mile course along the former Mississippi Central Railroad corridor connects Hattiesburg with Prentiss by way of Sumrall, Bassfield, and Carson. It was the state’s first rail-trail and remains one of its most heavily used.
“There are people who travel all these trails all over the country,” says cycling enthusiast Jed Darby. “The Longleaf is on their bucket list.”
Darby, who moved to Hattiesburg from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, runs Jed’s Perfect Endurance Bikes, an 8,000-square-foot bike shop with a coffee bar, showers, and other amenities for riders at the Jackson Road trail entrance just northwest of Hattiesburg. “We’re lucky because we have a lot of stretches of road where we never have to cross an intersection,” he says.
The trail’s name refers to the longleaf pine, once dominant in this region’s forests. Today, those trees remain along sections of the route, particularly outside the more developed areas. Like the Tanglefoot, the Longleaf Trace is paved and relatively flat, with a 24-mile parallel equestrian trail between Carson and the Ronnie Shows Nature Center.
What sets the Longleaf Trace apart is its urban anchor. In Hattiesburg, the trail runs through the University of Southern Mississippi campus and connects to neighborhoods, commercial areas and downtown. A tunnel under Fourth Street, painted with murals by local artists, links the campus to the trail. From there, the route stretches westward into rural Lamar and Jefferson Davis counties, where smaller towns maintain trail access through local partnerships.
Depots in Prentiss, Sumrall, and other locations have been converted into rest stations and visitor centers. These spaces offer parking, water, restrooms and shaded seating — all key for riders tackling longer distances. The Sumrall depot, for instance, serves as both a civic meeting space and trail hub. In Prentiss, a similar setup greets riders at the trail’s northernmost point.
According to estimates from the Rails to Trails Conservancy and local officials, the Longleaf Trace sees between 250,000 and 300,000 visits annually. That includes college students commuting by bike, families out for weekend rides, and participants in organized running and cycling events.
For travelers, the appeal of these trails is their mix of landscape and local character. Riders on the Tanglefoot might stop at a farm stand near Algoma or explore town centers in New Albany and Pontotoc. On the Longleaf Trace, a cyclist can ride from dense pine forest into a college town within an hour. Neither route is overly remote, but both offer enough quiet to make the scenery matter.
The Tanglefoot even hosts the Tour de Bodock, an annual bike ride that attracted 325 riders from eight states in 2024 (this year’s edition will be held Oct. 4) and helps raise funds for trail maintenance and improvements.
“Most of these folks would have never come here, but when they come and see the trail, some of them come back on a regular basis to enjoy the trail,” McGee says. “It’s fun to see it through the eyes of people who are not from here because then you appreciate it anew once again.”
